BIO-VALORISATION OF URBAN ORGANIC WASTE THROUGH COMPOSTING

Abstract

With growing population, advancement in technology and increase in public demand for commodities, there is insurgence in the rate of generation of waste globally. The municipal solid waste has a major contribution towards the rising issue of waste management which comprises of around 47.4% organic part, that is biodegradable. Through extensive literature review, it has been inferred that composting is the most economically efficient and sustainable method to treat the organic waste. Through the study it has been found out that the rate of compost formation and its characteristics are dependent on various parameters including temperature, pH, moisture content, C/N ratio and aeration. Lignocellulosic biomass is a plentiful and difficult-to-degrade renewable resource. White rot fungus (P. chrysosporium), a lignin-degrading fungus, degrades lignocellulosic waste has been cultured in the laboratory to inoculate the plant biomass to increase the rate of decomposition. The pH in the end of the analysis period was 7.31 and 7.15 for inoculated and uninoculated yard waste. The temperature was maximum on 128th day for inoculated waste which was 67.2◦C and for the uninoculated yard waste the temperature was highest on 150th day and was found to be 46◦C. Composting is a cost-effective method for the treatment of organic waste, as the cost of production of crop by using synthetic fertilizers exceeds the cost of production by using organic manure. The cost benefit analysis, using compost as a fertilizer was done comparing the cost of production of crops using synthetic fertilizers and the calculated profit was 0.66%. Composting not only minimizes the waste generated, but also helps in the ecological sanitation, cost reduction and employment generation, thereby upholding the concept of circular economy that deals with sustainable living in terms of social, economic and environmental aspects. A part of initiatives and policies formulated by several countries to abide by the concept of circular economy have been incorporated in the study.